with, others acquaintances whose names she had to be reminded of. Many of them seemed genuinely delighted to see her and talked about getting together. But as soon as she turned her back to put in their order or excuse herself to get work done, she could sense them leaning into each other, whispering.
It was irrational, the way her stomach clenched with nerves and her heart felt like it was trying to escape through her throat at the prospect of seeing a bunch of people and having to talk to them.
She could still cancel, she thought. Plead a headache, or better yet, claim Anthony was throwing up. A puking child always offered an easy out.
"Mommy," Anthony said as he slammed open her bedroom door. "It's one oh oh, time to go to the party," he said, bouncing on his toes the way he did when he was excited. The thought of canceling went right out the window.
"Do you think there will be cake?"
"I'm not sure, sweet pea," she said as she slid her feet into flat, strappy sandals. She reached one hand toward his and grabbed her purse with the other.
"But there's always cake at a party."
As they walked down the stairs, she explained that this was a barbecue, more of a casual kind of party.
"Like at Auntie Sarah's that time? I won the giant teddy bear!"
"Maybe a little more low key than that," she said as she thought about the barbecue Sarah had hosted last summer at her house in the Hamptons. The three hundred person guest list had included professional athletes and Academy Award winning actors, and the event had been catered by Wolfgang Puck himself.
Meanwhile the children had been entertained by a carnival set up on the west lawn, complete with carnival games, a merry go round and a Ferris wheel.
One silver lining in all of this, she mused, was that at least Anthony would grow up with the knowledge that most people in the world didn't hold carnivals in their back yards.
On the way out, Ellie grabbed a bottle of wine and a six pack of beer to bring. Adele was already waiting out front in the car.
"I'm glad you and Damon seemed to have made up," her mother said as Ellie turned and settled in her seat after helping Anthony fasten his seat belt.
Inexplicably, Ellie felt her cheeks heat. "I wouldn't say we've made up.” That would imply too many things she didn't want to think about when she was bracing herself to spend the afternoon at his house. "We've managed to put our differences aside now that we have to work together."
"I suppose you've got to start somewhere."
"Start what?" Ellie said, suspicion raising the little hairs on the back of her neck.
"Oh, nothing," Adele said, a little too quickly. "I just think it's good the two of you are getting along so well."
Ellie wouldn't exactly put it that way, but she didn't feel like discussing it with her mother. Especially in front of Anthony who seemed to have ears like a bat when it came to subjects she'd rather he didn't hear about.
While their truce had endured enough for him to take pity on her and invite her to the barbecue—and she knew it wasn't any more than that—their interactions weren't exactly what she'd call friendly.
Too much lingering tension for that. And, God help her, there was no way she could relax around him when every time she saw him her brain was flooded with the image of him standing in his doorway in nothing but running shorts. All muscles and smooth, sweat-slicked skin.
That combined with the memories of how good it had been with him until the memories of being with him in the past got tangled up with the fantasies of what it would be like to be with him now. Until her nights were filled with fevered dreams that made her blood run hot and jolted her awake restless, aching with unsatisfied need.
It's just because it's been so long, she tried to convince herself.
Right. And the fact that your libido comes roaring back to life as soon as you see him again? Pure coincidence.
But as far as she could tell, Damon was feeling no resurgence of
It was irrational, the way her stomach clenched with nerves and her heart felt like it was trying to escape through her throat at the prospect of seeing a bunch of people and having to talk to them.
She could still cancel, she thought. Plead a headache, or better yet, claim Anthony was throwing up. A puking child always offered an easy out.
"Mommy," Anthony said as he slammed open her bedroom door. "It's one oh oh, time to go to the party," he said, bouncing on his toes the way he did when he was excited. The thought of canceling went right out the window.
"Do you think there will be cake?"
"I'm not sure, sweet pea," she said as she slid her feet into flat, strappy sandals. She reached one hand toward his and grabbed her purse with the other.
"But there's always cake at a party."
As they walked down the stairs, she explained that this was a barbecue, more of a casual kind of party.
"Like at Auntie Sarah's that time? I won the giant teddy bear!"
"Maybe a little more low key than that," she said as she thought about the barbecue Sarah had hosted last summer at her house in the Hamptons. The three hundred person guest list had included professional athletes and Academy Award winning actors, and the event had been catered by Wolfgang Puck himself.
Meanwhile the children had been entertained by a carnival set up on the west lawn, complete with carnival games, a merry go round and a Ferris wheel.
One silver lining in all of this, she mused, was that at least Anthony would grow up with the knowledge that most people in the world didn't hold carnivals in their back yards.
On the way out, Ellie grabbed a bottle of wine and a six pack of beer to bring. Adele was already waiting out front in the car.
"I'm glad you and Damon seemed to have made up," her mother said as Ellie turned and settled in her seat after helping Anthony fasten his seat belt.
Inexplicably, Ellie felt her cheeks heat. "I wouldn't say we've made up.” That would imply too many things she didn't want to think about when she was bracing herself to spend the afternoon at his house. "We've managed to put our differences aside now that we have to work together."
"I suppose you've got to start somewhere."
"Start what?" Ellie said, suspicion raising the little hairs on the back of her neck.
"Oh, nothing," Adele said, a little too quickly. "I just think it's good the two of you are getting along so well."
Ellie wouldn't exactly put it that way, but she didn't feel like discussing it with her mother. Especially in front of Anthony who seemed to have ears like a bat when it came to subjects she'd rather he didn't hear about.
While their truce had endured enough for him to take pity on her and invite her to the barbecue—and she knew it wasn't any more than that—their interactions weren't exactly what she'd call friendly.
Too much lingering tension for that. And, God help her, there was no way she could relax around him when every time she saw him her brain was flooded with the image of him standing in his doorway in nothing but running shorts. All muscles and smooth, sweat-slicked skin.
That combined with the memories of how good it had been with him until the memories of being with him in the past got tangled up with the fantasies of what it would be like to be with him now. Until her nights were filled with fevered dreams that made her blood run hot and jolted her awake restless, aching with unsatisfied need.
It's just because it's been so long, she tried to convince herself.
Right. And the fact that your libido comes roaring back to life as soon as you see him again? Pure coincidence.
But as far as she could tell, Damon was feeling no resurgence of
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